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Officer Jeffrey Cooperstein, a six-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Police
Department, has been acquitted of aggravated assault and criminal homicide
in the shooting of Deron Grimmit. As a result, Officer Cooperstein is
seeking full reinstatement to the Pittsburgh Police Department. He expressed
gratitude to all the supporters of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense
Fund for helping him throughout his two-year ordeal.
Those readers who received our last newsletter
or mailing will recall that Deron and Curtis Grimmit, both felons with
long police records, took police on a long chase in a stolen car at
3:30 A.M. on December 21, 1998. Officer Cooperstein was radioed about
the chase and positioned his cruiser in the path of the suspects' vehicle.
Standing outside of his cruiser, it appeared that the suspects were
going to attempt to run him down. In self-defense, Cooperstein fired
four shots, one of which ricocheted and killed Deron Grimmit.
The case became politically charged when the Reverend Jesse Jackson
held a news conference in Washington, D.C., with Deron Grimmit's mother,
claiming that this case was an example of police abuse of minorities
and "terrorism of the highest order." Congressman John Conyers
(D-Mich.) called for Congressional hearings and Ira Glasser of the ACLU
chimed in with support for Grimmit.
The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund will assist Cooperstein in his
appeal to be reinstated to the Pittsburgh Police Department.
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The three-week
trial of John Futrell, a retired police officer being sued by the estate
of a bank robber, has ended with a hung jury in Los Angeles. The case
will be retried in September.
In 1997, Emil Matasareanu and Larry Phillips, armed with semi-automatic
weapons, robbed a Los Angeles bank of $300,000. In the 50 minute shoot-out
that followed, Phillips died, 11 policemen were severely wounded, and
six civilians were injured. Matasareanu died from 29 bullet injuries
shortly after Officer John Futrell arrived on the scene.
Matasareanu's estate filed a law suit against the L.A.P.D., Futrell
and Officer James Vojtecky for wrongful death and violation of the suspect's
civil rights, alleging that the bank robber bled to death because he
was not provided immediate medical attention. The Law Enforcement Legal
Defense Fund will continue to provide financial support to assist in
Futrell's defense against these trumped-up charges.
See
Also:
Read more about this case in the Winter 1999
newsletter.
Sign a
letter of enouragement for Officer
Futrell.
 
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